Cuddly spotted
puppies! They look so darling and the movies make it seem so easy.

Dalmatians are cute
when they are puppies but rapidly grow to a weight of between 45 to 70
pounds of muscle and energy. Unless a family is prepared to deal with
an adult dog of this size, the result can be another Dalmatian ending
up in a shelter waiting for its last day. Before you adopt a Dalmatian,
there are several things to consider.

1) The
first consideration is if the family has the time a Dalmatian requires. Dalmatians
need obedience training, exercise
and attention. Adding a Dalmatian to a family is like having another
two-year-old child in the family. An overworked mother with young
children may not be able to handle the additional workload of a
Dalmatian.

2) The
second consideration is space. Young
Dalmatians need a home
with a fenced yard to play in and preferably another canine companion.
It is difficult but not impossible to keep a Dalmatian in an apartment
but having a yard makes things much simpler. However, Dalmatians should
never be left in the backyard all the time. They need and want to be
indoors with their families and their short coat does not provide
adequate protection for chilly nights outdoors, even with a dog house.

3) The
third consideration is commitment. No
one should adopt a
Dalmatian or any other breed of dog unless they are willing to make the
commitment to keep the dog its entire life. Dogs have the emotional and
intellectual capabilities of two-year-old human children. If you think
about the kinds of thoughts and feelings two year old children are
capable of, then it becomes appalling to think how callously people
toss dogs away at shelters. Would they do this to a child? Dogs in
shelters suffer tremendous emotional stress. They cry and pine for
their owners. Some become so despondent, they try to starve themselves
to death. We estimate that thousands of Dalmatians entered Southern
California's shelters in 1998 and only about 5&percnt; of them
were
adopted. The rest were euthanized. Dalmatians live approximately 15
years--people should be sure they want to commit to keeping a dog for
its entire lifespan of 15 years before getting one.

4) The
fourth consideration is money. Just
as children have food and
medical expenses and must go in for check-ups and vaccinations, so does
a Dalmatian. People must plan their budgets and decide if they can
afford the additional expense of a Dalmatian.

Dalmatians are fun
dogs who are always ready to play. They want to be included in the
family's activities, whether it is jogging at the beach, hiking in the
mountains or laying around watching television. Dalmatians were bred to
run 25 miles or more per day with horses and a carriage so their
exercise requirements are high. They also functioned as guard dogs for
the horses, carriage and its occupants and still retain this protective
nature.

Their care is
relatively simple. Their short coats shed all year round but grooming
outdoors with a rubber curry brush can cut down on the shedding while
they are indoors. They should be fed twice a day with a high-quality
lamb and rice dry dog food mixed with water and canned chicken dog food
that does not contain corn, soy, wheat or organ meats. Their ears need
to be cleaned on a weekly basis to prevent ear infections. Nails should
also be trimmed on a weekly basis. Vigorous daily exercise is necessary
to keep the Dalmatian from channeling his energy into destructiveness.
Obedience training is also a must.

The Dalmatian is a
very hardy breed and usually does not have many medical problems.
Deafness is a serious inherited problem that occurs in about
10&percnt; of the Dalmatian population. Urinary tract
stone-forming
is another serious problem that can be life-threatening if a blockage
occurs; all Dalmatians have the potential of becoming stone-formers but
only some individuals actually do become stone-formers. A urinalysis
can determine if the dog is a stone-former or not.

Because of these two
serious inherited conditions, only experienced breeders who are
familiar with genetics, actively showing their Dalmatians in the breed
ring, and know the health histories of the Dalmatian's parents,
grandparent and great-grandparents, should breed Dalmatians. A
Dalmatian should never be bred because it is pretty or has a great
personality or has AKC papers. AKC papers do not guarantee quality,
they only mean the animal's parents were purebred. Casual backyard
breeders are the cause of the millions of animals being put to death
annually in the animal shelters because of their lack of expertise in
placing animals in permanent homes, their refusal to guarantee that
they will take the animal back at any point in its life if the new
owners cannot keep it, and the massive overpopulation of dogs and cats
compared to available homes. A reputable breeder will guarantee in
writing the animal's health as well as promise that the animal can be
returned to them at any time. One should never purchase a dog from a
pet store or a person who does not provide any written guarantees.

Anyone who is
interested in the Dalmatian breed should research the breed by reading
as much as possible about it and by visiting dog shows to talk with
experienced Dalmatian breeders. You may also visit the following web
sites for detailed information about the Dalmatian breed: The Dalmatian
Club of America at http://www.thedca.org/ and the Dalmatian Club of Southern California athttp://dalmatianclubofsocal.org/

Another way to add a
Dalmatian to your family is to adopt one through a Dalmatian rescue or
from an animal shelter. Dalmatian rescues take in unwanted Dalmatians
and save Dalmatians from shelters to try to find them new
homes.
A source of information is the Save the Dalmatians and Others Canine
Rescue web site located at http://www.savethedals.org/ If you decide to
adopt from a shelter, be sure to ask the shelter staff to assist you in
assessing the Dalmatian's temperament and have the dog meet everyone in
the family first before adopting it.

Dalmatians are
wonderful, fun and loving dogs that do well in the right family
environment. Do your research and make sure a Dalmatian is the right
breed for you and your family before you adopt one. If you decide a
Dalmatian is the right choice, obtain one from a reputable breeder, a
rescue or a shelter and you will have a wonderful canine friend for
life!

Text written by Terri
Haase, Founder and Former President, Save the Dalmatians and Others
Canine Rescue

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